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Heart Attack or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome ?

January 3, 2011 by drburt

Today’s post is about real case that have treated on Friday. I saw this patient over a year ago for severe neck pain and headaches. Patient’s problem was resolved with very good results. This morning patient’s husband calls and asks me to see his wife today as an emergency visit because she has numbness in her left upper extremity, loss of temperature in that extremity, and shooting pain. Over the phone he explained to me what has happened couple of days ago.

He took his wife to a near by Hospital Emergency Room suspecting that she had a heart attack. She had severe shooting pain in her left upper chest and shooting pain down her arm. In a Hospital medical Doctors performed a complete check up, including laboratory test and fancy CT- Scan diagnostic. After numerous hours they found nothing wrong with his wife and discharge her home with some pain medications. She was not very happy with an outcome since the symptoms were still there even with pain medications.

This morning I performed my examination and was trying to figure out what was wrong with this lady. First off all she always carries her heavy bag on her left shoulder with her belongings and belongings for her two young kids. That was a first sign that the problem was mechanical in nature and something was compressing her arteries and nerves. Her intercostal muscles between first and second ribs were extremely painful. Her left clavicle (look at the picture on a left) was out of alignment and did not have any movements during passive and active range of motion. Both of her rhomboid major and rhomboid minor muscles were very sore as well.

My Solution to This Problem:

I have diagnosed this lady with TOS. The first procedure was the electrical stimulation and moist heat. I used electrical stimulation on PAIN and CONSTANT settings for 15 minutes. Two pads were placed on her first and seconds intercostal spaces and two pads were placed around rhomboid major and minor muscles. Moist heat pack was placed in the same area for 15 minutes as well. Next, my massage therapist worked on her tight muscles for about 20 minutes or so. My CMT has informed that her entire left side is completely out of balance. Muscles were tight and patient was guarding during the massage which made her job a bit more difficult. But she got it done. After the massage I have performed full spine Chiropractic Adjustment ( that included cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine) and I have adjusted her first rib and clavicle on the left side.

I have called later on today to follow with this patient. Patient has informed me that she did not feel any pain since I saw her this morning. She has also informed me that she felt wave of heat coming into the left side of her body and left upper extremity.

The moral of this case: – please carry your heavy bags on both shoulders if you have too. Make sure that your kids’ backpacks are not too heavy and they carry them on both shoulders as well. Let’s start 2011 with a healthy habit.

Happy New Year !!!

Post a comment below or share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter or comment section below to join the conversation. Feel free to add any additional tips.

Flu, Cold, Nasty Symptoms and Natural Remedy

December 20, 2010 by drburt

We have entered an official cold and flu season. In Northern California it rains none stop this time of the year and some northern parts of the country it snows none stop. The only people who have fun this time of the year are residents of Hawaii and Puerto Rico. I guess they have fun all year long because of the abundance of sunny days. Many families get seasonal flu or cold symptoms. Some have to skip days of work and some can coop with symptoms and move on. The strength of the symptoms will depend on how strong the immune system of the individual is. Many factors will contribute to the strength of the immune system; nutrition, physical shape, well functioning nervous system and level of stress environment.

Flu symptoms are viral in nature. Please do not ask your Primary Care Physician for antibiotics if you have a flu. They will only make your symptoms worse as they will kill your good bacteria resides in our intestine. These little guys are responsible for your general health. If the are destroyed with antibiotics one might develop additional symptoms. It takes about a week for our body to destroys the virus inside our body. If the immune system is week it might take much longer with more severe symptoms.

Our son brought as we call in our household a “bug” from preschool. He was the first one who got fever and vomited several times. I was next and my wife followed. During this time we did not take any antibiotics or syrups from Walgreens or other pharmacy department stores. Our daily diet included lots of hot liquids – green tea with lemon, Ginger and a table spoon of honey – yum. Daily food intake always contained fresh garlic in it. 100,000 I.U. Of vitamin A with Zinc has provided a necessary additional boost for the immune system. Our little one was the only who had severe symptoms and continues to have slight cough. As of this writing Saturday 12/18/2010 my symptoms are completely gone and the first time I began to experience themwas last Friday. My wife still has occasional sneezing problem but nothing major. As you can see the body will find the way to fight the “bug” aka viral infection. Even if you have fever that is a sign that your body fights the infection. By raising body T our immune system can easily destroy the protein membrane of the virus. Lay down in your bed and sweat it out. You will feel much better in the morning. However, if fever reaches a critical point and it does not go down call 911.

Symptoms	Cold	Flu

Fever	Rare	Characteristic, high (100-102 degrees F); lasts three to four days

Headache	Rare	Prominent

General Aches, Pains	Slight	Usual; often severe

Fatigue, Weakness	Quite mild	Can last up to two to three weeks

Extreme Exhaustion	Never	Early and prominent

Stuffy Nose	Common	Sometimes

Sneezing	Usual	Sometimes

Sore Throat	Common	Sometimes

Chest Discomfort, Cough	Mild to moderate; hacking cough	Common; can become severe

Complications	Sinus congestion or earache	Bronchitis, pneumonia; can be life-threatening

Chiropractic, Busy Business Executives, and Other Healthy Tips

October 13, 2010 by drburt

Chiropractic Busy Business Executives, and Other Healthy Tips

When it comes to pain and discomfort our bodies react the same way either it is a blue color worker or top notch business executive. Pain is a neurological signal that tells the body that there is something wrong with it and it is time to take care of the problem. However, with constant deadlines, business meetings, prolonged flight hours, and sleeping in an uncomfortable bed on regular bases will take a toll on people who are in a constant stress mode. I am talking about business peoples who are on the go all the time.

Business Executives are bombarded with deadlines at all times. As we all know deadlines are extremely stressful and often times force to push the body to a limit. During these periods of time large amounts of coffee is being consumed and lack of sleep is a final result of this wishes cycle. Coffee is a great way to keep one awake but there is a price tag that comes with it. During coffee consumption two things are happening to a body.

It drains the adrenal glands. These are small glands that are located one on top of each kidney. These glands are responsible for production of the adrenaline that is only designed to be produced during the “fight or flight” reflex. As a result your heart rate and the rest of the internal body parts work several times faster than in normal working conditions. This process drains to much energy and requires more coffee consumption and more adrenaline production.
Caffeine is diuretic. It completely dehydrated your body. Does it ring a bell that you need to go pretty soon right after you have a cop of coffee? If this process goes for a frequent period of time (I am talking about months) eventually person will collapse due to the over exhaustion. This process also Producess extra stress on a muscloskeletal system.

The other stressful part of being Business Executive is being involved in a prolonged international flights. Sometimes it takes up to 24 hours to travel from one part of the world to another. Of course, flying business class help a lot but it is not the same as sleeping in your own bed. Also the other factor is a huge time difference that a person has to adapt to. Sometimes it takes up to two weeks to adjust to a new time zone. By the time you get used to a new time zone it is a time to fly back or fly to different part of the world. This schedule will alter the sleep cycle of the human body. My teacher used to say:” Sleep is your weapon.” He was always saying get as much sleep as possible before the exam. Your mind and body will function at its physiological maximum potential.

Everyone who travels has to stay in a Hotel. Often times, it does not matter how expensive the hotel is and how good the room looks like inside. Nothing can replace the mattress you sleep on and your home environment. I think everyone can relate to this experience. In the morning your neck or your back is sore, twisting and turning all night because one can’t find a comfortable position.

When you get up you feel like you have been hit by a truck or you drank with your bodies all night long. I think the story sounds familiar to many. The next most probable step would be have a breakfast with COFFEE. Have you noticed a pattern here? It is back to the COFFEEE again.

Let’s find a solution to these problems:

Instead of reaching for your morning cup of coffee, you can do your body a big favor by eating a healthy breakfast instead. A good breakfast, maintained by a healthy lunch, will keep you energetic all day. You can read News Target’s page on breakfast to learn to distinguish between the good and bad breakfast foods, but whatever you do, don’t wash it down with a cup of coffee.

How to Survive Overnight Flights:

What is “economy class syndrome?” I thought it referred to dark circles under the eyes, cramped legs and sore necks that are part of the joy of long haul flights. Recently I learned that “economy class syndrome” is a more serious condition, described as “ deep-vein thrombosis, or the formation of a blood clot, usually in the legs, a rare but fatal condition that occurs as a result of sitting for long periods of time, immobile, on international flights.” Read More …

Sleep better in hotels with these 10 tips

Trying to sleep when you travel is a challenge – sure, some people may be born with the ability to sleep anywhere, but others (myself included) need a little more comfort to grab a good night’s sleep. In this list, you’ll find ten tried and tested tips for getting a better night sleep in a hotel room. Best of all – most of these tips don’t involve spending (too) much. So, check out these ten tips, and with a bit of luck, your next hotel stay will be a more relaxing experience! Read More …

When you travel for business to a different part of the world chances are that you will land in a major metropolitan city. Doctor of Chiropractic who had training in accredited Chiropractic school is available for you in these big cities. Chiropractic adjustment of the entire spine will enhance the performance of your nervous system and therefore your entire system will function much better. You will feel more energetic and will not have the need for coffee. Here is a list …

Question: Did you find this post useful? What healthy tricks do you use when you travel to a different part of the world? Read More

Chiropractic Rehabilitation and 4 Stages of Soft Tissue Healing

August 20, 2010 by drburt

The healing process is divided into four broad stages which are not mutually exclusive and overlap considerably.

1. Initial vascular reaction – Active Swelling

2. Inflammatory response – Passive Congestion

3. Proliferative phase – Repair

4. Remodeling

Wound healing refers to the body’s replacement of destroyed tissue by living tissue (Walter & Israel 1987). It comprises of two essential components whose differentiation is based on resultant tissue: Regeneration and Repair.

TISSUE INJURY CAUSES RESTRICTION OF MOTION DUE TO:

Inflammation & Swelling
Pain
Muscle Spasm

THE MAJOR GOALS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE:

Relieve Pain
Promote Full Healing
Restore & Maintain Full Function
Reduce the Likelihood of Re-Injury
Prevent Accelerated Degeneration

Chiropractic Care Should Continue Throughout the Repair Stage. It Take Longer For Tissues to Heal & Normal Function to be Restored Than it Takes for Pain Relief. Pain Relief is not the Only Goal. Chiropractic Helps: